An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination: A Memoir
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Book Type: Hardcover
Bookfanatic reviewed on
Helpful Score: 1
This book caught my eye when an excerpt from it was in a women's magazine. As soon as I finished the excerpt, I knew I had to read the entire book. Then I had to wait for months while I got to the head of the wish list line at PBS. The wait was was worth it.
The beginning chapters are sad, but then stillbirth is obviously an enormously sad topic. McCracken just has a way with language. She can convey so much with just a few words. The book doesn't get mired in grief. There are humorous moments even admist the horror of the stillbirth. There is a happy ending to the memoir.
My one criticism of the book is the way the story is told. It's not linear. The memoir shifts in time. I think a more straightforward, going from the past to the present, would have been better.
I would not recommend this book to someone who is pregnant or someone who is thinking of getting pregnant. I think some of the issues the author faced could have been treated in the US (the author gave birth in Europe) because my experience is that ob/gyns in the US tend to go overboard with all sorts of tests. That's not to blame the author though... she is obviously a loving mother and felt acutely the loss of her baby.
The beginning chapters are sad, but then stillbirth is obviously an enormously sad topic. McCracken just has a way with language. She can convey so much with just a few words. The book doesn't get mired in grief. There are humorous moments even admist the horror of the stillbirth. There is a happy ending to the memoir.
My one criticism of the book is the way the story is told. It's not linear. The memoir shifts in time. I think a more straightforward, going from the past to the present, would have been better.
I would not recommend this book to someone who is pregnant or someone who is thinking of getting pregnant. I think some of the issues the author faced could have been treated in the US (the author gave birth in Europe) because my experience is that ob/gyns in the US tend to go overboard with all sorts of tests. That's not to blame the author though... she is obviously a loving mother and felt acutely the loss of her baby.
